Here is where to get mantis shrimp:

[Mr. Manty]

I plan on updating this thread regularly with good and bad experiences I have had with online shippers of mantis shrimp. I had a HORRIFIC experience with YourFishStore.com with them misidentifying the species and not responding and I don't want anyone to have to go through that.

With a scientist such as Roy Caldwell in our midst I hate to rely on anecdotal evidence of such a small sample size but we are dealing with human issues such as trust and so this is what we are left with! Anyone can chime in with their own experiences!

THE GOOD

Ibluewater.com and KPaquatics.com have both been very communicative and have sent healthy species and been very honest and cooperative when it comes to refunds etc...

Ibluewater: 7 inch Peacock. Very healthy specimen. Communicated through every step of the way with pictures and video so that i could ensure that he was healthy beforehand. Packaged with a lot of water.

KpAquatics: 2.5 inch Havanensus. Very healthy and active, but it did die unfortunately due to the sensitivity of this species, not their fault at all (or maybe even mine). They gave an immediate refund and I am about to order another one from them even with the expensive shipping because of how communicative and helpful they were.

THE BAD

YourFishStore.com: Peacock Or it was supposed to be a peacock. Probably the most distinctive and famous species of all was misidentified as a... wait for it.. an Haptosquilla stoliura. A tiny species devoid of color.

It took me over a month to get a refund or response from them. I tried their facebook, phone, and the support email listed on their site. I had to finally resort to filing a complaint with the BBB to get a response from them. Finally got a refund. Mantis was packaged well however.

This was particularly frustrating as I was just getting into saltwater for the first time solely to own a peacock. It had been my dream for years beforehand! Fortunately it did allow me to set up an appropriate tank and become much more knowledgeable about their care by the time I actually got a peacock. I most certainly would have killed him if I had gotten one immediately.

[Hadla]

Thanks! Great info

[Mr. Manty]

I had another experience with KPaquatics. I reordered the havanensis and fortunately he is alive and well this time after 5 days. KP is awesome!

[sjmantis]

Ibluewater would not send me any details on the peacock they had in stock. Also said they would only ship to an airport. Right now I have one in route from azgardens.com but so far my dealings with them have been less than stellar. I will update info when it arrives.

[deleau]

Blue Zoo had a Smithii in their Collector's Choice earlier in the week. He arrived in perfect shape and is sitting in an acclimation box with some PVC until I re-home my N. wennerae. (Pics to come when I can in my thread.)

So far so good with this guy; he's already very interested in what I'm done around the tank.

[Mr. Manty]

SJmantis,

I will say that for a peacock it really did work out well picking him up from the airport. I was able to pick mine up 20 minutes after he arrived at the airport. Not having to wait for the truck cuts down the time that the mantis is boxed up.

deleau,

Thanks i have been wanting a smithii just can't track one down.

[sjmantis]

Originally Posted by Mr. Manty

SJmantis,

I will say that for a peacock it really did work out well picking him up from the airport. I was able to pick mine up 20 minutes after he arrived at the airport. Not having to wait for the truck cuts down the time that the mantis is boxed up.

Does it have to be a major airport? I don't have one within viable driving distance for me.

[Jlentz]

Originally Posted by sjmantis

Does it have to be a major airport? I don't have one within viable driving distance for me.

I suspect it would need to have airline service. Maybe a ups/FedEx office though.


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[sjmantis]

Well add azgardens to the list of scam/dead end sites for mantis. I suppose Ill start at the beginning. On their site they advertise clown mantis with a picture of a peacock for around $80. One feature of this company I found pretty awesome is you can text them directly. So I did, and asked if they had any in stock ready to ship. They replied back rather quick and said they did, although they wouldn't send a picture or details. So I placed an order for the peacock and one coral I found attractive. I verified over text that it would ship out Wednesday for Thursday delivery. They replied yes with quite enthusiasm, which made feel great because I had those days off to receive it. The next day is when things started going downhill. I received an email from USPS saying it had shipped but my expected delivery date was Friday, even though I had been charged for over night shipping. I texted them and they said something about my area not being available for over night even though I get corals shipped to me all the time just fine. They also rambled on about them shipping stuff to Australia for twenty years and it always arriving in perfect condition. I kept my cool and said fine, I would just go home on my lunch break and acclimate it then. Fast forward to today. I received a rather light package and open it up. What do I find but just the coral! Now I'm getting really heated and texted them saying what is going on. They act like they have no idea who they're talking to and the mantis must be on back order or something. I replied saying to just give me a refund and I haven't heard back yet.